Roger Daynes
Head of Region – Scotland
Roger has been working in business development for over 20 years across the financial services and technology sectors. Having started his corporate career in Edinburgh, he has since worked in New York, London, mainland Europe and the Middle East, before returning full-circle to Edinburgh.
Scotland’s Startup Strength is Clear, Yet Scaling Remains the Defining Challenge
Scotland has no shortage of opportunities to invest in talent, but a common theme in recent years has been a lack of funding routes to scale the brightest ideas. It’s a familiar paradox: a startup ecosystem full of smart people may still underdeliver on smart companies.
From world-class universities to an increasingly cohesive web of accelerators, Scotland has made substantial progress in cultivating early-stage innovation. Initiatives like Techscaler, the University of Edinburgh’s Venture Builder Incubator, and a national network of Codebase hubs show a country that backs ideas — and the people behind them.
Scotland is now recognised as one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech regions, with strong founder talent and rising global investor interest. Yet for many, the journey hits a wall after the first big step. Starting is no longer the hard part, but scaling up — while staying rooted in Scotland — remains the defining challenge.
A glimpse of the discussion:
Scotland’s startups thrive at the early stage, thanks to universities, accelerators, and angel investors. But when it comes to scaling, access to growth-stage capital, embedded investors, and long-term support becomes critical. There are examples of progress — PXN, BGF, Maven, and recent landmark funding rounds — but the full picture of Scotland’s scale-up potential, challenges, and opportunities is much broader.
Curious about the rest?
The article dives into:
– Why Scotland risks becoming a “startup nursery” without deeper capital
– How international investors are engaging with Scottish scale-ups
– The role of tools like R&D tax relief in unlocking growth
